Improvement in brake mechanisms



2 Sheets--Sheet 2.`

4 o'. n'N Nain. -Braka Mechanisms.

Patented J'uly 8,1873.

or'ro GRNINGERfoF lnew YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRAKE Ecl-mensole..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. lfMDM), dated July S, 1873 ;'application filed C June 11, 1873, Y

To all wlionvit may' concern:

Be itknown that l, OTTO GRNTNGER, of. the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and `useful Improvement in `Brake,Mechanisms, and I do hereby declare thegfollowing to be` a fiill, clear,`and exact description thereof, 'whichvvill enable those skilled in the art to makeand use" the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingforming part of this specification, in which drawingi 'Figurel represents a sectional side vicer ofy my invention as applied to a locomotive-en-l gine. Fig. 2 is a plan or topview of the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in combining with a compression or steam cylinder of a locomotive or stationary steam-engine a pipe leading from the exhaust cavity ofthe valve, or from the exhaust-port ofthe valve-chest, of said cylinder into a reservoir containing water, in suchv .a manner that, when the compressio'n-cylind'erl `Waterdrawn in through the other pipe; further, in the arrangement of a pipe leading from the steam-space ofthe valve-chest of compression or steamcylinder to the reservoir containing the feedwater in such a manner that the heated air and Water or steam which are ejected from said compression-cylinder serve to heat the feed-Water, and thereby the l work expended in compressing the air or steam is stored up for future use.

Before I proceed with the description of my invention 1 AWillhriey state its object; ln order tocheck the speed of a locomotive-engine when the same is running on a descendin g grade, or for the purpose of stopping the locomotive altogether, it was a common practice to reverse theslide-valves, so that the pistons of the steam-cylinders are caused to move against the action of the steam by the 4momentum of the locomotive itself, and of the load Which may be attached to it.l By this motion of the pistons air or. steam is drawn into the-cylinders through the exhaust-pipe, and forced into the boiler through the steam, pipes, and, as this airor steam is compressed, its temperature is raised to a high degree, and the cylinders become highly heated. Further- `more, the air which is drawn into the cylinders, being taken from the smoke-chamber of 'thelocomotive-boiler, is impure and liable to foul the cylinders, and if the motion of the i locomotive on the descending grade continues for a long time, the compressed' air which is pumped into the boiler is liable to increase the pressure in the boiler to a dangerous'extent. v

The object of my invention is to avoid the difficulties pointed ont above, and to utilize the heat of the compressed air or steam.

In lthe drawing, the letter -Adesignates, the boiler of a locomotive-engine, from which steam is admitted, through pipes a a, tothe steam-chests b b of the cylinders B B. The steam from both cylinders exhausts through a pipe,'c, from which one branch, d, extends in the smoke-chamber or smoke-stack, While another brancln'e, extends in the open atmosphere. Both these branch pipes are provided with stop-cochs or valves, which can bel opened or close-d by means 0i suitable rods or levers from the engineers cab. The pipe c also connects, vby means of a pipe, f,with a reservoir, g, containing pure Water, and this pipe can be opened or closed by means of a stop cock, 71,. From the top of the steamchests b lZi extends a pipe, t, from which leads a pipe, j, into the reservoir g, and "the end of this pipe is., by preference, connected to a coil, l.

The reservoir' y may be open or closed. If it is closed, the water in it can be heated beyond two hundred and twelve degrees. v

The moment l desire to slachen the 'speed of the locomotive, uwith or without a train of. cars being in full motion, I shut oil' the steam from the boiler, connect the valvechamber with the reservoir of the tender by opening the stop-.cock of the pipe f, close the branch d which leads from the exhaustpipe intocthe by the evaporation of the Water admitted to-` gether with the air, While the steam formed by the evaporation of the water acts partly as I a lubrieator for the piston. The cylinder is thus saved from getting overheated, and the compressed hot air and steam, being forced directly into the feed-water, give their heat up, and the feed-Water becomes heated to a high degree before it is pumped into the boiler.

The hot air and steam may be forced directly into 'the feed-water, or they may be made to pass through aycoil situated at the bottom of the feedwater tank and opening into the atmosphere. If this pipe terminates under the Water in the tank it must be provided With a check-valveto prevent the water from flowing back in said pipe.

The slide-valve must be so constructed that it will not be raised from its seat by the compressed air. This object may be effected in various ways Well known to engineers, and no further description ot' the construction of the slide-valve is required.

In going down an incline the feed-water tank ought to be fully provided with Water, and when the locomotive reaches the level, or any point of the line from which it may return, `the water in the tank will be found heated to a degree corresponding to the given circumstances. Ou high grades my invention will work to the best advantage.

If on steep grades the water in the opten tank becomes heated to the boiling-point, theI locomotive ought to be made to return with an uphill train, or the tank ought to. be einptied into a reservoir and iilled with a fresh supply of cold Water, the hot waterin ,the reservoir being used for the supply ofiome en-` gine coming uphill.

Whenever it is necessary to stop a train atintermediate stations the brakin g up may be l eiiected either entirely 0r partly according to my invention, and in this way the work expended in braking up a train lnay be entirely or partly saved.

During the entire operation of braking according to my system the boiler remains intact, and the advantage of my invention over the usual systems of locomotive steam-brakes is self-evident, because by my invention the steam cylinders are prevented from getting overheated, and principally because the heat which is equivalent to the work expended in braking up is saved.

In the previous description I have explained my invention as applied to a locomotive-engine; but my invention can also be used with the same advantage forany stationary engine which is employed for hoisting, or, more properly speaking, for lowering, anyload. In applying my invention to. a hoisting-engine the mechanism must be adapted to the existing circumstances. The exhaust pipe, which in such engines generally escapes into the open atmosphere, or into a high smoke-stack free from ashes, requires no change, but the valvechest must be connected with the feed-water tank, as above described.

If desired, a separate compression-cylinder may be used in place of the steam-cylinder for the purpose of producing the retarding eii'ect.

If steam is admitted to the compression-cylinder instead of air, I connect the exhaustpipe, by means of a pipe, l, (shown in dotted lines in Fig'. 1,) with the steamdome, or any part of the boiler, and another pipe, m, leads from the boiler to the feed-Water tank. The

steam, after having been compressed iu the cylinder, is forced back into the boiler, and, in order to prevent excessive heat in the boiler and to utilize the heat produced by the compression ofthe steam, I let off steam or water from the boiler, through the pipe m, into the I feed-watertank, and at the same time I pump Waterfrom the tank back into thcboiler, so as to keep the same in a normal state.

What I claim as new, and desireA to secure by Letters Patent, is#- y l. The arrangement of a pipe leading from the exhaust-cavity ofthe steam-valve, or from the exhaust-port of the valve-chest of a com- 'pression or st eam cylinder, into a reservoir "containing Water, with a pipe leading from the steam-space ofthe valve-chest to said reservoir, so that when the cylinder 1s used as a brake it is prevented from becoming overyheatedy by the water drawn in through said pipe and forced into said reservoir, substan. tially as described, fonthe purpose specified.

2. The combination of an lair-pipe with a ypipe from the exhanst-cavity'of the steamvalve, orfrom the exhaust-port of the valvechest of a ,compression or steam cylinder, into af-reservoir containing water, and with a pipe leading from the steam-space of the valvechest to said reservoir, for operation, in connection with a locomotive or stationary engine, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

This specication signed by nie this 6th day of June, 1873.

OTTO GRUNINGER. Witnesses:

W. I-IAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

